Soldiers are expected to follow strict military orders without hesitation, even if it conflicts with their personal morals or desires. This can lead to emotional dissonance between personal values and professional obligation. Soldiers must balance these two conflicting worlds while maintaining discipline, loyalty, and effectiveness.
Personal Desires vs. Hierarchical Expectations
When a soldier is given an order that goes against their moral code or personal beliefs, they may feel a conflict between their own needs and those of the military hierarchy.
A soldier may be ordered to kill civilians during wartime, which goes against their sense of justice. In this case, the soldier may struggle with feelings of guilt, shame, and anxiety due to the disconnect between what they want to do and what they have been asked to do.
Balancing Personal Values and Professional Duty
One way soldiers navigate this tension is by compartmentalizing their thoughts and actions. They separate their personal life from their professional one, keeping them distinct and unconnected. This allows them to perform their duties without allowing their personal values to interfere.
This approach can also lead to mental health issues such as depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Emotional Responses to Conflict
Another response to this dilemma is for soldiers to express their concerns directly to their superiors. By voicing their objections, they can attempt to negotiate a compromise or seek clarification on orders.
This risks punishment or reprisals if the superior disagrees with their position. As a result, many soldiers choose not to speak up out of fear of retaliation.
Cultural and Psychological Factors
Cultural factors can also play a role in how soldiers handle emotional dissonance. Some cultures place more emphasis on loyalty and discipline than others, making it harder for individuals within those cultures to question orders.
Psychological factors such as personality type and past experiences may influence how someone responds to conflicting expectations.
How do soldiers navigate emotional dissonance between personal desires and hierarchical expectations?
Soldiers have to deal with an inner conflict when it comes to the combination of their emotions and the demands of authority figures within the military context. This can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and confusion as they try to balance personal wishes with orders from superiors. In this situation, soldiers might experience psychological distress due to the incongruence between their values and those imposed on them by military culture.